Bottle filling and crowning machine



Oct. 27, 1931.

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l I/VVE/VTOR dk/zawz Patented Oct. 27, 1931 [UNI E S AT PATENT MB] JOHNWALTER FLOWER, or WIMBORNE, ENGLAND BoT'rLn FILLING AND cRowN'INGMACHINE A p' plication filed May 27, 1930, Serial No. 456,232, and inGreat Britain N ovember 1, 1929.

This invention relates to machines for fillmg and crowning bottles andhas reference more particularly to the hydraulic ram or rams which raiseand lower thebottle or J bottlesto and fromthe filling andcrowningheads.

According to my invention I employ difi'erential piston means forbringing about the movements of the ram. Such a means includes a pistonand the ram, the piston bemg of larger effective area than the ram andarranged in the lower end of the cylinderZthe reOf. The piston is forcedinto the cylinder by cam mechanism and produces pressure in oilcontained in the cylinder, which oil lifts the ram and, due to theefi'ective area of the ram being smaller than that of the piston, thislifting is proportionately greater than the in-stroke of the piston. Thecylinder is provided with an adjustable relief valve whereby thepressure with which a bottle on the ram bears against a filling orcrowning head may be varied or adjusted. The piston is returned by aspring, and brings about the return of the ram. Such fluid as passesthrough the relief valve is replaced on the return stroke by fluidentering by way of a suction valve.

The invention may be employed in conjunction with a combined bottlefilling and crowning head such as set out in my co. pending applicationSerial No. 455,774, filed May 26, 1930, in which case the relief valveis so constructed and arranged that the pressure at which it blows-ofi'during crowning is greater than that at which it blows-off duringfilling. For this purpose a spring is pressed by cam mechanism against acollar adjustably arranged on the outer end of the valve during crowningand isremoved therefrom during filling.

The invention is applicable to filling machines or crowning machines ofsingleor rotary type or machines with combined filling and crowningheads andof single or rotary type. In rotary machines the ram, and whenused, the additional loading spring on the relief valve, may be operatedby cam' mechanisms in the form of circular tracks.-

The invention applied to a machine of the part of the the top of themachine and rotatable on bear ,y N

ings such as 5 carried by a vertical column 6 fixed centrally of the bedplate 7 of the machine. I

Each cylinder contains a ram 8 and a coaxial piston 9 of largereffectivearea than the ram. hen the wheel 3 isdriven by a worm 10 thepiston'is first forced into-the cylinder due to a roller 11 atits'end'climbing a rise in a circular cam track 12 and the ram 8 isforced upwards by the pressure of the oil contained in the cylinder. Theupstroke of the ram is appreciably greater than the iii-stroke of thepiston, due to the smaller effective area of the ram, and a bottleapplied to a stirrup 13 at the upp'er end' of the ram is pressed intoengagement with a filling head at afinal pressure determined by thepressure atwhich a relief valve 1 1 ispermitt'ed to operateby a spring"15 ad; 1

then inserted in alignment with'the bottle 9 0 and thereafter the pistonis again forced into the cylinder by another 'rise'i'n thecam track andthe bottlev is introduced into1the crowning head, the cam track againdrops and the piston ram and stirrup return to the position shown,I thefilled and crownedFbottle being removed from the stirrup.

7 Because the pressure required at crowning is appreciably greater thanthat required at filling a spring 18 is provided beneath the reliefvalve and is carried by, aplunger 19 which has a roller following acamtrack 21. The track 21 rises with or just before the crowning rise inthe track 12 and forces the spring against a collar 22 on the slem ofthe valve 14 so that the pressure of oil in the cylinder has to increaseuntil it overcomes this spring. Such oil as is discharged through thevalve 14 is replaced through a suction valve 23 opening into the oilreservoir formed by a cylindrical case 2 1 and the bed plate.

It will be understood that the differential piston arrangementillustrated may be used in singlehead filling and crowning machines andin rotary machines and the parts 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 need to be used onlywhenthe crowning and filling heads are combined in the same machine.

What I claim is 1- 1. In a bottling machine with a hydraulic cylinderformed with inlet and outlet ports and a ramreciprocating in thecylinder for lifting bottles to and from the head of the machine, theprovision within the said cylinder of a piston of larger effective areathan the ram, and cam mechanism for reciprocating the piston to producepressure in the hydraulic fluid within the cylinder, said fluid when.under such pressure forcing the ram longitudinally of the cylinder.

2. In a bottling machine with a cylinder formed with inlet and outletports, hydraulicrammeans for lifting bottles to and from the head of themachine, a ram andpiston of larger effective area than the ramwithin'said cylinder, means carried by the rain for supporting a bottle,and mechanism for reciproeating the piston to produce pressure in thehydraulic fluid within the cylinder, said fluid when under such pressureforcing the ram longitudinally of the cylinder.

3. In a bottling machine with a cylinder formed with inlet and outletports, hydraulicram means for lifting bottles to and from the head ofthe machine, a ram and piston of larger effective area than the ramwithin said cylinder, means carried by the ram for supporting a bottle,cam mechanism for forcing the piston'into the cylinder to producepressure in the hydraulic fluid within the cylinder, said fluid whenunder'such pressure forcing the ram longitudinally of, the cylinder, andspring means for returning the piston. J

4. In a bottling machine with a cylinder formed with inlet and outletports, hydraulicram means for liftin gbottles to and from the head ofthe machine, aram and piston of larger effective area than the ramwithin said cylinder, means carried by the ram for supporting abottle,cam mechanism for reciprothe hydraulic pressure at filling andcylinder and an adjustable relief Valve for fluid from the cylinder, therelief valve being adapted to operate appropriately at two differentpressures, one of the pressures being slightly above the hydraulic fluidpressure required at filling and the other pressure being slightly abovethat required at crowng In a bottling machine according to claim 4, therelief valve being provided with an adjustable loading spring fordetermining with a second and adj ustableloading spring for determiningthe pressure at crowning, said sec ond loading spring being providedwith means which bring it into use only at crowning periods. I i 6. Ina'bottle machine according to claim 4, the relief valve being providedwith an ad justable loading springfordetermining the hydraulic pressureat filling and with asecend and adjustable loading spring fordetermining the pressure at crowning, said sec 0nd loading spring beingprovided with cam mechanism and a plunger between the cam mechanism andthe said spring for bringing this spring into use only at crowningperiods. In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

JOHN WALTER FLOWER.

eating the piston to produce pressure in the h draulic fluid within thecylinder, said fluid w en under such pressure forcing the ram out of thecylinder, and a fluid inlet valve to the

